Combined burial casket and grave vault



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June 16, 1936. J. E. MITCHELL COMBINED BURIAL GASKET AND GRAVE VAULT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1934 Jame 16, 1936- J. E. MITCHELLCOMBINED BURIAL CASKET AND GRAVE VAULT Filed Sept. 15, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES CODIBINED BURIALCASKET AND GRAVE VAULT John E. MitchelI, Marion, Va.

Application September 13, 1934, Serial No. 743,909

1 Claim.

The invention relates to means forinterring the dead and has for itsprincipal object the provision of means whereby at a reasonable expensethe dead may be buried in a container that wilt be impervious tomoisture and the container wilt otherwise be substantiallyindestructible.

Tothis end the invention has for a further object the provision of acontainer for the dead comprising a receptacle having its side and endwalls and bottom covered with moisture-proof plastic composition, andwith a suitable cover so that the container or receptacle may be used asa casket for holding the remains until conveyed to the grave forinterment, and providing a vault cover for the receptacle to be placedthereon before lowering into the grave after said vault cover has beensealed to the receptacle or casket.

A further object of the invention is the provision of removable handlemembers for the burial casket that are adapted to be removed from thecasket prior to interment.

The invention will be described in detail hereinafter and will be foundillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideview of the improved burial casket and grave vault,

Figure 2 is a top plan view,

Figure 3 is a top plan view with the vault cover removed, the casketcover being shown in open position in broken lines,

Figure 4 is an end view of the casket and vault,

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view on a plane indicated by the line5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a similar view on a. plane indicated by the line 6-6 ofFigure 2,

Figures 7 and 8 are detail sectional views on planes indicated by lines1-1, and 8-8, respectively, of Figure 1, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary detail sectional view on a plane indicated bythe line 99 of Figure 3.

In the drawings similar reference characters designate correspondingparts in all of the views.

The combined burial casket and grave vault comprises a casket portion [0and a vault top or closure II that will be described in detailhereinafter.

The casket portion I0 is constructed with a box or receptacle l2 thatmay be made of wood or any other suitable material, and will have itsinterior lined and upholstered as is usual with burial caskets. Thesides, ends and bottom of the box l2 will be enclosed by means ofwaterproof cement or other plastic material l3, said plastic materialbeing secured thereto by means of expanded metal lathing or othersuitable foraminnus material N that is preferably spaced v from the boxportion 12 to provide air spaces between the sides and ends and bottom.as shown at ii. To add to the appearance of the casket, and also at thesame time provide means whereby the metal lathing or foram'inousmaterial may be spaced from the box 2, a plurality of spacing blockstfi'are securedgat the, sides and. ends of the upper edge of the box l2,and I6 are other molding blocks secured at the corners thereof, alsoother spacing. blocks [1 at the sides and ends of the lower edge of thebox, and H are other molding blocks secured at the bottom corners of thebox, said. blocks ll and it extending below the plane of the bottom ofthe box [2 so as to provide for the space under the bottom of the box ashereinbefore referred to. The blocks [8, 16', ll, and H are secured tothe box l2 by means of nails or spikes 16*, and M designates drivenfastenings, preferably staples, to secure the foraminous material inspaced relation relatively to the box.

Secured to the upper edge of the box I2 is a frame 18 to conform to thehorizontal contour of the box, and which in the example of the drawingswould be rectangular, said frame lapping over and enclosing the airspaces [5 at the top of the casket, and said frame may be covered by anysuitable fabric, such for instance as silk, designated l9.

Around the bottom edge of the casket is secured a metal toe piece 20,and around the upper edge of the box [2 and plastic material and underthe frame I8 is secured a strip 2| by driven fastenings or othersuitable means. Strip 2| has an upturned portion 22 and rebent that isextended below the strip 2| as shown at 23, said strip being preferablyof sheet metal, such for instance as copper or bronze. The purpose ofthe strip 2| and the upturned flange 22 will be more particularlydescribed hereinafter in connection with the vault top or closure.

Mounted on the frame I8 is a lid or cover 24 that may be hingedlysecured along one side, if desired, so that the cover may be entirelyraised if desired, or one portion of the cover may be made of aplurality of parts designated respectively 25, 26, 2'! and 28, the part28 being hingedly secured to the part 2'! which is in turn hingedlymounted on the frame l8 so as to permit it to be raised into theposition disclosed in dotted lines in Figure 3 and Figure 5, with thepart 28 folded back thereon as shown while the parts 25 and 26 will bemounted on slip hinges 29 so that this 55 part may he slid outwardly ofthe frame to permit the parts and 26 to provide a substantial coucheffect.

As best shown in Figure 9 the slip hinge 29 has a strap 30 that issecured to the lid or cover part, and another strap 3| hingedly securedthereto and provided with an elongated slot 32 to receive a screw orbolt 33 secured in the frame l8, the strap 3| being thus slidabletransversely of the frame l8 for the purpose hereinbefore stated.

For carrying the casket, any suitable handle means may be provided andpermanently secured thereto if so desired, but for economical burial aremovable handle structure'has been devised comprising bars 34 on whichis mounted any suitable handle structure 35, in any suitablemanner, saidbars 34 extending beyond the ends of the casket, and being clamped tothe sides thereof by means of rods 36 having nuts 31 mounted on the endsthereof and clamping said bars to the casket, so that before intermentthe bars and rods may be removed for reuse. The vault cover or top isconstructed of relatively thick waterproof plastic material 38 that ispreferably reinforced by a double layer of expanded metal or otherforaminous material 39, and has its lower edge reinforced by a V-shapedmetal toe piece 40, said cover or top being adapted to seat on the strip2i within the upturned flange 22, and may be, and preferably will be,sealed to the casket portion Ill by anysuitable sealing material, suchfor instance as cement so as to provide a watertight enclosure for thecasket and vault.

To enable convenient handling of the cover or top H I provide loops 4|that are secured to the reinforcing material 39 in any suitable manner,said loops being adapted to removably receive rods 42 having theirextremities extending beyond the ends of the cover I i to providehandholds for lifting and placing the top or cover in position, ashereinbefore stated, and prior to lowering the casket and vault into thegrave said rods are to be removed from said loops.

Provision is also made for marking the vault by providing means wherebycement or other plastic material 43 may be applied to the vault or coverand while still plastic suitable lettering may be impressed therein,making a permanent record of the identity of the occupant of the casket.

What I claim as my invention is:

A burial casket, comprising an open top box, spacing blocks secured atspaced intervals around the upper portion of the box, other spacingblocks secured at spaced intervals around the lower portion of the boxand extending below the plane of the bottom of the box, foraminousmaterial secured to the outer surfaces of said spacing blocks -andspaced by said blocks from the side and end walls of the box and belowthe bottom thereof and providing air spaces between the box walls andbottom and between the spacing blocks, cementitious material mounted onsaid foraminous material, a sheet metal strip mounted on the box andextending over the upper edge of the cementitious material, a top framesecured to the box and adapted to have a cover hingedly mounted thereon,said sheet metal strip closing said air spaces and having an upturnedouter edge providing a continuous flange spaced from and surrounding theframe, the upturned portion being returned outwardly thereon andextended below the upper edge of the cementitious material to reinforceit, the space between the frame and flange forming a recess to receive avault top and sealing material therefor.

JOHN E. MITCHELL.

